Posts by F R O G L E A P

✦ ✧ ✦ This was not the first time Frogleap had been among the cats of StarClan tasked with bestowing a life. Before Lavenderskies had come Sorrelstar and Twistedstar, and neither had been from his clan.

The tabby tom would be the first of the cats to step forward. His brown and white fur was aglow with the faint glimmer of starlight, and his deep blue eyes shimmered with warmth. However, to Lavenderskies he would as blurry figure, with an indistinct form. "Greetings," He would mew softly so as not to startle her. "Welcome to StarClan, Lavenderskies. My name is Frogleap. Unlike many of the cats here, I was not from SkyClan." The tome would pause for a moment, letting his words sink in before pressing on with the story of his life. "I was born and spent most of my life in WindClan. I had a wonderful life there, with family and friends who I adored, and I showed promise as a good warrior. Sadly, things changed when I was kidnapped by twolegs," Frogleap's eyes closed for a moment as he recalled that time. "It was a horrid time, and honestly some of my darkest days. The only thing that kept me going was the hope that I would see my family again. And when the time came, that hope carried me home, and reunited me with much of what I was lost. When I left my clan some moons later, it was hope that kept me from being consumed by my own dark thoughts." He paused once more and a thoughtful expression passed over his face. "You are to be leader soon, and with that comes a sense of uncertainty of the future in an ever-changing world. You must have hope that no matter how things seem, everything will be alright in the end."

He took a step forward and pressed his nose gently against her head. Although the touch had been gentle, the sensation that would wash over Sorrelfire would not be the most pleasant. She would feel his pain and grief, a strange sensation, that seemed to gnaw away in the back of your mind. She would feel the fatigue flood her body. Not the sort from lack of sleep or illness, but something that came from an overwhelming urge to give up, from a lack of motivation. And when the pain seemed at it's worst, it would fade away, being replaced by a sense of warmth, happiness, and hope.

"With this life, I give you the life of hope. Use it wisely in guiding your clan," He said, giving her a small nod. "Remember that even in the darkest time, when things seem at their worst, never lose hope."

And with that, the brown tabby bowed his head, and stepped back, taking his place back among the cats of StarClan.

✦ ✧ ✦ The next cat to step forward was a brown and white tom, his pelt glittering with faintest glow of starlight. Unlike most of those gathered, Frogleap was not from RiverClan, though in the last moons of his life head had found himself frequenting the clan more often due to his liaisons with Bluefrost, and confrontation with Rootlegs. It was fair to say the last moons of his life had not been the easiest or the happiest, and though is death had been slow and painful, he had found a peace in StarClan that had eluded him for almost a year.

As Mistpaw stepped away, Frogleap came forward to give his life. Stopping in front of the soon to be new leader, his blue eyes studied her carefully. Frogleap had never spoken to Twistedtail when he had been alive, but he could recall her from past gatherings. She had always seemed like a sensible she-cat, willing to do what was necessary to protect her clan. There was no doubt in the tom's mind that she would make a fine leader.

"Welcome to StarClan, Twistedtail," He mewed, dipping his head in greeting. "Unlike most of the cats here I was not from RiverClan, instead hailing from WindClan. I will spare you the details of my life, but I am pleased to see you standing here, I always thought you'd make a fine leader one day." Frogleap would cough before continuing. "I am giving you the life of hope. Use it wisely in guiding your clan," Frogleap said, giving her a small nod. "Remember that no matter how hard things seem, never lose your hope that things will get better."

The tabby tom would step forward, pressing his nose against Twistedtail, a sad look in his eyes as he did so. When he had done his duty, he simply bowed his head once more, and slipped back into the ranks of StarClan cats.

✦ ✧ ✦ After Rainyskies stepped away, a second cat came forward, this time a tom. The brown and white tom's pelt glittered with faintest glow of star, his blue eyes were lively once more, and he generally looked in better shape than he had for the final moons of his life. He stopped in front of Sorrelfire, his blue gaze fixing on her warmly, looking at her with a look of admiration. "My name is Frogleap," he whispered in greeting. "I was born and spent most of my life in WindClan. I had a wonderful life there, with family and friends who adored me, and I showed promise as a good warrior. Sadly, things changed when I was kidnapped by twolegs," Frogleap's eyes closed for a moment as he recalled that time. "It was a horrid time, and honestly some of my darkest days. The only thing that kept me going was the hope that I would see my family again. And when the time came, that hope carried me home, and reunited me with much of what I was lost. When I left my clan some moons later, it was hope that kept me from being consumed by my own dark thoughts." He paused and a thoughtful expression passed over his face. "You are to be leader soon, and with that comes a sense of uncertainty of the future in an ever-changing world. You must have hope that no matter how things seem, everything will be alright in the end."

Frogleap then stepped forward and touched his nose gently against Sorrelfire's head. Although the touch had been gentle, the sensation that would wash over Sorrelfire would not be the most pleasant. She would feel his pain and grief, a strange unexplainable sensation, that seemed to gnaw away in the back of your mind. She would feel the fatigue flood her body. Not the sort from lack of sleep or illness, but something that came from an overwhelming urge to give up, from a lack of motivation. And when the pain seemed at it's worst, it would fade away, her body flooding with warmth, happiness, and hope.

"With this life, I give you the life of hope. Use it wisely in guiding your clan," He said, giving her a small nod. "Remember that even in the darkest time, when things seem at their worst, never lose hope."

And with that, the brown tabby bowed his head, and stepped back, taking his place back among the cats of StarClan.

✦ ✧ ✦ The blunt words hit Frogleap hard, and he was forced to look away for a moment. "I could ask you the same thing, Rootlegs," He said quietly. "We're closer to WindClan territory are we not? Seems strange for you to be out this far."

At the other's comment about Frostfall, he shifted uncomfortably. Frostfall. The she-cat who claimed to love him. Who when learning of the half-clan kits he had fathered during his time coming back to WindClan, had sought the comfort of another and had his kits. Perhaps Frogleap would not have been so mad and so broken by the news had she not stung him along for so long. It had been too much for him with his already fragile mental state, and then his tragic fling with Bluefrost had only worsened his mental state. "Why would I?" Frogleap asked with a neutral tone. "She lied to me. Those aren't my kits!"

✦ ✧ ✦ Frogleap had been wondering between the territories for a couple of weeks now. After Bluefrost's death, he had been unable to cope, and his already weak mental state had broken further by this. He had felt awful leaving, if only for the sake of his kits, but he had finally found some semblance of peace again now. His dreams were still dark and troublesome, but he was more at peace now.

Despite his desire to leave, Frogleap had not truly wondered very far from WindClan's territory, and on some days if the wind was strong enough, he was able to smell the faint scent of home. He had been hunting for some prey in the area, when the sudden shout of Rootlegs made him jump, and scared off the rabbit he had been stalking. Cursing quietly to himself, he padded toward the direction of the voice, not quite recognising it as Rootlegs's shout. As he stepped forward and blue optics fell on the younger tom, he blinked in surprise, his tense stance softening. "Rootlegs?"

✦ ✧ ✦ This moment had been building for Frogleap. He was leaving WindClan.

The brown tabby tom had not felt happy for a long time, the discovery that Frostfall's kits weren't really his, and then watching the mother of his kits die in front of him, had all lead to deteriorating mental state. Though in truth, he hadn't been the same cat he once was for a long time, not after his kidnap. Frogleap had tried to find some happiness again with the new kits, but when he looked at them, all he could think of was Bluefrost dying on the border, her blood staining his pelt, their kits crying out for a mother they needed but would never know. That moment had plagued his thoughts for days now, haunting him in his dreams. He had kept this bottled up for the most, feeling that he had no-one to really speak with this about, unlike Morningfrost. There was Wolfheart perhaps, but he didn't really know her well enough to vent his frustrations.

All the cats he could have once turned to, who he had loved, had either died or disappeared.

And perhaps he would be better off disappearing too...

Frogleap waited till night fall to leave, lying awake in his nest for hours until he was certain none of his clanmates were awake. He felt a pang in his chest at the thought of leaving his children all alone, but he had truly come to feel they would be better off without him. His kits with Bluefrost would have Morningfrost as well, and he would probably make a far better father to them than Frogleap would. Mothkit and Flamingokit wouldn't really have no-one else, maybe Frostfall if she could find it in her heart to care for them, or hopefully his clanmates would step up to care for them. He left camp quietly, careful to not be seen or heard, never looking back.

By the time his clanmates began to stir he was long gone, his scent leading to the border with RiverClan, but then simply fading away, as though the tabby tom had simply vanished.

// so here it is froggy's leaving post. it is up to you whether your character believes him to be dead or not...I will say his fate is rather ambiguous for now ;). I've loved rping him with you guys but his time has come to an end for now.

✦ ✧ ✦ At Rootlegs' request, Frogleap got to work in attempting to swab some of her blood. He didn't know if it would do much good, and worried that he was too clumsy and doing more harm than good.

It was not long after he returned that the first of the kits was born, a small black tom. Frogleap looked at the kit lovingly for a long moment, before Rootlegs stepped in and moved him closer to Cowspots to be carefully monitored. The birth of this one kit seemed to be tiring enough for Bluefrost, he feared if she would even live to see all of her kits be born. A few minutes after the small tom had been born, he was followed in quick succession by three other kittens, another tom and two she-kits, the youngest of which was moved over to Frogleap, as another wave of contractions hit Bluefrost. He looked down at the small kit as this was going on, licking her backwards to help her breathe. As he was doing this, the fifth and final kitten was born, a little grey she-kit, who looked remarkably like Bluefrost.

What happened next, would haunt Frogleap's memory for many moons to come. After naming the youngest kit Ashkit, Bluefrost had slumped against the ground once more. Her gaze had shifted to the firstborn, but before she could say his name, her sentence was cut short by a cough and her sputtering up blood. The queen's eyes closed for one last time and her body went still. She was dead. Frogleap's blue orbs went wide, staring at her lifeless body with a look of deep sorrow. He had not known Bluefrost very well or for even that long, but he had enjoyed her company. It seemed unfair that her life had been cut short in this way, at this moment. She had deserved to live longer, to see her kits grow up happy and healthy.

"His name will be Duskkit," Frogleap blurted out, looking at the firstborn tom. It seemed fitting given the time of day. Frogleap looked down at the young she-kit at his feet, her mewed pitifully for a mother she would never know. He did not care if Morningfrost or any of the other cats had objections over him naming these two kits. They were potentially his after all, he had every right to have a say in their naming. Besides, he had missed out on the naming of his elder son, who had been born in ThunderClan, he did not want to miss the opportunity for a second time. "And she will be Dawnkit," He added, gesturing to the small black and white she-kit. "After my sister."

// hope it's okay I had him name Duskkit as well! I figured it made sense since he is technically Frog's kit haha

✦ ✧ ✦ Eyes widen slightly when Morningfrost appears, followed by two other WindClan warriors who he recognizes as Ivynose and Cowspots. Blue eyes meet Morningfrost's, though he looks at him pleadingly, instead of the cool indifference he usually would. Help me. Help her. his eyes seem to silently ask.

Unsurprisingly, it does not take long for the smell of blood to draw attention from the RiverClan side. The first to appear is a she-cat, who rushes over to Bluefrost's side, and she is soon followed by a thick furred tom and....Rootlegs. Their eyes met for a moment, and Frogleap felt a wave of emotions wash over him. This was the real father of Frostfall's kits, the kits he had loved and been raising as his own. A part of him wanted to confront the younger tom, but this was not the place to instigating a spat between the two.

He lingered back a little whilst Rootlegs got to work tending to Bluefrost. He instructed the she-cat to keep her awake and for Morningfrost to keep pressure on some of her wounds. "I'll get some moss," Frogleap announced quietly, eyeing Rootlegs as he spoke, unsure whether the tom was purposefully ignoring his presence. With a small nod, he bounded back over to WindClan's side of the border, disappearing to retrieve some moss for him.

He gone for several minutes, eventually returning with as much moss as he could carry between his jaw, droplets of water trailing behind him. Frogleap set the moss down beside Bluefrost's body for Rootlegs to use and moved to the side, offering words of comfort, trying to keep her awake like Ashfolly was.

✦ ✧ ✦ The memory of this night would linger in Frogleap's mind for moons to come, he was sure of it. He followed silently behind the small group that had formed at the border during Bluefrost's kitting, the small black and white kitten that he had named Dawnkit clutched between his jaw.

He felt numb. Hollow. The only sound he could really focus on was the muted crying of the three kittens they carried with them, crying out for the mother they needed, but would never know. It pains him to think back on Bluefrost, who had died mere moments after bringing these kits (and their RiverClan siblings) into this world. That she would never see them grow and live their lives, her life cruelly cut short. He had no doubt that the injuries she had sustained prior to him coming across her body had contributed greatly to her death. Whoever had done that to her was a monster. To inflict such harm on a queen like that you just had to be.

He follows Morningfrost and Cowspots into the nursery once they reach camp, giving the Dawnkit carried to a queen to be cared for alongside her littermates. He watched her for a long moment before walking back outside. Frogleap joins the group again, albeit sat a small distance away from them. He is not surprised to see Jasperstar come over and ask questions. The four of them returning, bloodied and with three newborn kits, was bound to raise suspicions. Still, Frogleap said nothing, he merely curled his tail round his paws, and lowered his head, getting lost in the memory of what had happened that night.

✦ ✧ ✦ Frogleap had not planned on walking the border that night. It was pure coincidence - or maybe not - that he had suffered another bad dream, and in order to shake the nightmare from his mind had gone for a walk out of camp. The cool air always seemed to relax him, and that night, seemed to do it's usual trick of dispelling his bad thoughts. That was until the tang of blood hit him.

Against all of his better judgement, he followed the scent of blood. As she drew nearer to the body of Bluefrost, he could now detect the scent of RiverClan as well. It was faint, masked by the scent of blood, but her would know that odour anywhere.

He soon came across the body of Bluefrost, and at the sight of her, cut up and bleeding, clearly in extreme agony, he froze. Blue orbs fixed on her body, paralyzed with shock and fear at the state of her, watching as her body heaved with the effort of contractions. What kind of a monster would do this to a pregnant queen?

It was that thought that seemed to spur him forward. "Bluefrost!" He called out her name as he came towards her. Being this close to her he could see the wounds on her body, and it pained him to imagine what agony she must have been going through at that moment, caught in the throes of labour and perhaps fatally wounded. "I don't know who did this to you...but I'll try and help as best as I can. Try and focus on your breathing for me, okay? I know it hurts but we need to bring these kits into this world."

✦ ✧ ✦ Frogleap paused a moment before responding. He had only just come back from a patrol, did he really want to go out again so soon? It was only whilst he was deep in thought that he noted the look in her eyes, a look that seemed to imply this would be more than a simple walk. "Of course," he responded lightly. "Lead on and I'll follow."

✦ ✧ ✦"No I'm fine," Frogleap said simply. It was a lie of course. Even in Frogleap would not admit it himself, there could be no denying that his behaviour had shifted in recent days. He was quieter, keeping to himself where possible, and was irritated by the slightest of things.

"I just thought I'd say hello and see how you were getting on," he explained, "I haven't spoken to you since before you were made a warrior."

✦ ✧ ✦ The growing doubts about Frostfall's kits' parentage had reached a head in recent days. The seed of doubt had always been there in the back of his mind since they were born, but it had only grown worse in recent weeks. Perhaps for other members for the clan it was more obvious but Frogleap had vehemently tried to ignore, to push his doubts back down, even though the truth was so blaringly obvious.

That afternoon, after finishing a patrol, Frogleap headed over to Wolfheart. He hadn't spoken to the young she-cat since she had become a warrior. "Hello, Wolfheart," he said, dipping his head in greeting. "How are you?"

{WolfHeart}
I thought Wolf could bring up her suspicions in their conversation rather than jumping straight in. Hope that's okay! :)

✦ ✧ ✦ Frogleap nodded and turned to head out of camp, gesturing for Frostfall to follow him. He lead them a little ways out of camp, finding a concealed glen just off the moors where they could speak. He let her settle down before triggering a conversation with her.

"We need to talk about the kits," he said bluntly, blue eyes meeting hers. "I've had some suspicions for a while, and they've only grown when Wolfheart expressed some of those same concerns. I want you to be honest with me Frostfall. I need to hear the truth."

✦ ✧ ✦ Frogleap caught her glance in his direction. They both had their own issues to deal with, and whilst both had clearly sought solace outside of the clan, both seemed to enjoy the added company from this unconventional meeting.

"Ten moons..." He repeated quietly, more so to himself than in response to her, "I can scarce remember what I was like at that age." A small chuckle passed his lips, as they image of a much younger Frogleap - or as he was then, Frogpaw - came to mind. He had been so full of hope then, ready to take on the world. Funny how quickly things changed in that regard. "I have kits as well," Frogleap and told her. "My eldest was adopted, but I love her as though she were my own. Like you, I had a half-clan litter a few moons back. Only one of those kits live with me in WindClan, the rest live with their other father in ThunderClan."

✦ ✧ ✦ Perhaps inspired by his own transparency with her, Bluefrost revealed some of her own past to him. Frogleap listened to what she had to say, feeling a pang of sympathy for what she had gone through. "I'm sorry you had to experience all of that," Frogleap told her with a genuine tone. "I can't imagine it was easy for you. I'm presuming this is the reason you needed to get away?"

They walked a little further in silence before he turned to ask her a question. "You mentioned you had kits," he began, shifting to a lighter topic of conversation for the moment. "How old are they?"

✦ ✧ ✦ Frogleap nodded in approval as Bluefrost agreed to walk with him. She may have been a RiverClanner, but from what she had said to him, he got the impression they were in a similar boat. Besides, he appreciated having the company of someone who didn't really know him.

"Hmm, that's a long story," Frogleap muttered in response, the tone of his voice suggesting that whatever had lead to him being out here was not a pleasant topic. "Let's just say, that I've been raising another tom's kits unknowingly, and let's leave it at that shall we."

✦ ✧ ✦ A bitter laugh passed the tom's lips. He wasn't laughing at her, rather laughing at the similarity of their situations. "It seems we are the same in that regard," He said once he had finished laughing, After Frostfall's reveal he desperately needed to get away from his home. The news, though partially expected, had still come as a heavy blow, and hurt him deeply.

He looked around momentarily, as though scanning the area before his eyes fell on her form once more. "Since we're both out here alone, would you care to join me for a walk?" He paused for a moment, realizing that she may not have been comfortable walking with a WindClan tom. "I promise I don't bite."

✦ ✧ ✦ Frogleap noted the quiver of nervousness almost immediately, and his eyes snapped to the younger tom beside her. A relative perhaps? It was hard to tell, but they certainly seemed familiar with each other.

"I'm fine, thank you," he responded a little briskly. "Like you I've been better, but there's not much I can do about that at the moment." Frogleap laughed bitterly, before his eyes moved to Nettlepaw for a moment. "I think I'll leave you two alone now, It was nice to see you again, Bluefrost."

✦ ✧ ✦"I can tell," He commented bluntly, his nose wrinkling slightly. "No offense, but you reek of RiverClan."

He tilted his head at her for a moment, looking at her with a curious expression. She seemed a long way from home for a RiverClanner. He wondered if she had any ulterior motives for being here, or if, like he, she just needed the peace and quiet away from clan life. "May I ask what you're doing here?"